In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine, peach, plug, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as "Crown Princess". The present variety was hybridized in 1984 by us in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was the result of a seedling using Red Diamond (U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 3,165) nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed peach seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects.
The fruit produced by the present variety matures at nearly the same time as that of Merrill Gemfree (U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 1,409) peach, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by having almost full red skin color at ripening time, by being extremely firm and non-melting in texture, by being clingstone in type, and by having a more desirable oblate shape.
The present invention exhibits desirable characteristics common to its selected seed parent, Red Diamond (U.S. Pat. No. P.P. 3,165) nectarine, by producing fruit that is nearly full red in color at harvest time and very firm in texture. It noticeably differs from the Red Diamond by being a peach instead of a nectarine, by being clingstone instead of freestone, and by having a large blossom instead of a small blossom.